I noticed last night that the front frok has a few signs of rust. The paint is raised in two spots, each about the size of a 5c piece, and I can see surface rust in a hole at the bottom of the left fork (is this hole for drainage?)

What are the possible rectifications here? I wasn't going for a respray of the bike so I don't really want to strip the whole fork. I guess remove the paint from the effected areas, treat the rust (lightly sand to remove surface rust, then treat with a rust-converter, and then just touch up). And then rust converter and/or fish oil down the inside of the fork?

Managed to free up the dreailleur pulley this morning by pressing the sleeve out of the bronze surround using a vice and two sockets. The inner sleeve (bearing?) is quite corroded, but I'm going to try and bring it back with some very fine abrasive paper.

As of this morning the frame is bare, with the bb out and the fork dropped off. I'll get started fixing the rust on the fork this afternoon. It's hard to fight the urge to get the whole thing stripped and painted when it's in this state, but thats just getting carried away!

I'm not sure what to do with the bottom bracket. Should I (and/or can I) replace it with a cartridge-type unit? It's a 113mm, symetrical, cup-and-cone type Shimano at the moment (3H marked on the spindle.) The cups have surface rust on the outer faces and on a few of the threads. I think I will have a hard time finding an original Shimano setup from the same era, so if I'm going to use something else I might as well upgrade.

The handlebar stem is an old Kalloy, which I would like to replace with something from the late '80s (any suggestions?). The bit that the bolt tightens up on to hold the whole thing together is terribly rusted.

I've picked up a new cassette on ebay (7-speed 13-21T hyperglide) and new pedals (with toe-clips and straps, just like I had in 1990 because I couldn't afford clipless until a few years later. I'll try to find some old cleats and shoes......... anyone have some they want to get rid of?)

Don't resist getting the bike stripped and powder coated - a thread elsewhere on here was giving prices for it an it's not expensive. Seeing you have things to fix (like that rust), you'd might as well do it now and be done with it.

Bottom brakets are dirt cheap. Buy a new cartridge unit while you've got the old one out. I don't know where you are in Adelaide, but Bernie Jones at Marion have a good range in stock and are very accepting and understanding of old bikes. Just take your frame in to make sure you get the right one. If the headstem bearings are funny, they're just $25 for a 1" quill setup, and the boys can fit the new cups in a jiffy.

Bars and quills. It pays to ask when you go into shops. I walked into Bernie Jones looking for a quill for my track bike. They just happened to have a cyclocross bike that had centre punched a car. To save effort, they just cut the brake cables and I walked home with a set of Dawes handmade alloy bars, a levely quill and two Exuage Aero brake levers - $30 the lot

Typically, ebay is the place to look, but don't overlook the bike shops that have been around for a looonnnnng time

Hmmmm, I'll have a bit of a think about powder-coating while I'm getting the rest of the parts together. I'll search for the thread for the details. I work in Wingfield and there are lots of powder-coaters, spray-painters etc. in the neighborhood.

As for the bb, a cartridge bearing would be easier, although I just forked out for the tools to remove the original type of bb, so it would make some sense to stick with the cup-and-cones.

Do you need special tools to remove the headstem bearings, or just to re-install them?

Tap them out of the headstem with a hammer and a block of wood - that should be easy. Seeing you've already had cups fitted, new ones should press in easily, and they'll need to be pressed. I did one set with two blocks of wood and an F-clamp, but they were fairly easy. The other two I've done recently were both being fitted into new frames and I asked the lbs to do them. They have a clamp that passes down through the headsem and pulls the cups into place. Watching them do it, I was glad I didn't try myself but it's only a five minute job so one that's easy enough to farm out to a shop.

There is another cup at the base of the steering tube. You get that off by tapping it off with a block of wood. To fit it, my lbs simply uses a long piece of pipe which they invert (fork sticking out the top) and bash on the floor. The one I did, I got a ring spanner that was the 'right' size, opened my vice enough to allow the steering tube to go through, inverted the forks and did the bashing trick. Easy enough to do.

You may not need to change the cups of course. Those old cups are pretty solid and it takes a lot to hurt them - you may not even need to change them. Just pull the headset apart and clean it up - dried grease can often look like corrosion and battle damage, but hide perfectly clean bearing cups underneath.

The first of the parts I've bought on ebay arrived yesterday.......... a set of Victory pedals with toe-clips and a 7-speed Shimano cassette, both brand-spanking new! It's almost a shame to put them into use! (the pedals are especially sweet looking). I'm just waiting on a new set of chain-rings before starting the rebuild.

I'm finishing the touching up of the rust on the forks....... havn't been able to match the paint exactly, but it's an ok job, and will do as an interim position until I can get the frame repainted or powder coated.

I've decided to go with a cartridge bottom bracket, and will get the LBS to fit it and to re-fit the forks and handle-bars when I'm ready.

Can't wait for the first ride. I'm going to take the Rockhopper up Norton Summit this afternoon (on the road) and I imagine that it will be so much easier on the roadie when it's finished!

I took her for a quick ride up and down the street this morning to check that I had the derailleurs sorted out and she felt great!

I'm going to go for a longer ride this afternoon and enjoy myself!

I would like to thank everyone for their help, especially Richard. I know she is from 1990, and isn't made of steel (and therefore isn't a real bike!) but I've had a great time pulling her apart and putting her back together, and none of it would have been possible without the help from the members of this forum in answering my sometimes simple questions.

Aren't we all riding the TdU Challenge stage together? Although, after the way I felt this morning, my usual bullsh*t about there being no hills in the course is a bit more subdued than normal. I did miserably on Black Mountain and the temperature was only mid-20's.

I did 48km on Saturday, all on the flat. The one small hill at the start made me realise that the 11-21 cassette will need to be changed if I am going to ride up anything more serious. It took a little bit of time to get used to the friction shifters, but by the end of the ride I was reaching down without looking and shifting smoothly. I bought the cheapest pair of cycling shoes I could, but they worked ok with the toe-clips. Now I just need to get some old-school cleats and I'll be away. Averaged 29km/h for the ride which I was very happy with. Much easier to get up to speed and spin away than on the Rockhopper. And it may be petty, but it was great to fly past some guys on newer and more expensive bikes!

26km yesterday, down to Glenelg and back along Anzac Highway. I had a head-wind the whole way down, which was hard work. Used the drops a bit to stay out of the wind, but the riding position still feels a little strange and I couldn't hold it for long. The ride back was easier, and I chased down a few other riders. No chance to share a wheel though. The back brake stopped engaging when I was 2km from home. Not sure how it happened, but I readjusted it and all is well. Average speed of 28km/h.

I would be interested in doing the 70km option for the TdU, but I have a four day workshop starting on the Friday, so I'll have to give it a miss.